Implant prostheses and implant provisionals are well known in the field of orthopaedic joint replacement surgery. While this invention is particularly suitable for modular tibial implant provisionals having modular augment members, the features of this invention could also be utilized on other implant or provisional components which utilize modular augment members.
It is known in the art to utilize a provisional augment member with a base implant provisional member. Implant provisionals are used to test the surgeon's reshaping of the supporting bone and to provide a trial alignment for the implants. While the actual implant could be used to test the fit, it is more acceptable to use an implant provisional for such tests to prevent damage to the actual implant. U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,461 to Phlipot discloses a rotating dovetail attachment mechanism for connecting a modular provisional augment to a provisional tibial tray.
It is also known in the art to utilize augment members to provide an additional thickness of material onto the base implant. The following patents disclose various modular augment type members which are attached in various ways to a base implant component: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,201,769; 5,152,797; 5,108,452; 5,047,058; 5,019,103; 4,950,298; 4,944,757; 4,936,847; 4,911,987; 4,842,606; 4,769,039; 4,731,086; and U.K. Patent Application GB 2 259 253A. U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,452 to Fallin discloses an augment in FIGS. 18-25 which includes a wedge locking member which fits into a socket to provide a wedge lock connection via mating inclined locking surfaces.